His true intentions remained shrouded in mystery, sending a shiver down my spine.
While it was crucial for me to escape my predicament through this engagement, I also needed to ensure that the original story wouldn’t end in tragedy. I wanted Ludger to stop being the villain and for the plot to conclude peacefully.
“Until then, I must continue to appear foolish in front of my uncle.”
‘Up until now, the fact that Ludger hadn’t been engaged and had taken on the seemingly powerless position of Imperial Relic and Treasure Management was all to deceive his uncle into letting his guard down.’
As realization dawned on me, my earlier doubts began to fade.
“Actually… if my uncle were truly a good person and worthy, I wouldn’t mind handing over the title.”
“……”
“I trusted my uncle as my guardian for quite some time… a substitute for my parents. I thought it would be acceptable for him to become the next Duke.”
Perhaps one of the reasons why Ludger became the villain was Count Rentorich.
My heart ached at the thought of the young boy who had lost his parents and could only rely on his uncle.
“But… how could someone, who has wanted to consume his own nephew from a young age, be a good lord?”
“……”
“Therefore, I decided to resist it in my own way.”
Ludger smiled wearily and asked.
“Do you understand now, Captain? Our engagement is beneficial for me as well.”
“…Yes.”
Marriage alliances among nobles serve as an important political tool.
In this context, if Ludger were to become engaged to a commoner…. it would appear to be a foolish choice that would completely disregard his political future.
Count Rentorich would likely let his guard down, believing Ludger had no ambitions of becoming a Duke.
“It’s understandable that Captain would be curious, given that I didn’t explain the benefits of this engagement to you. Is the explanation enough?”
“Yes, that suffices. This is a matter of deep personal concern for the Young Duke, so thank you for sharing.”
“Your circumstances…. you have also shared your weaknesses with me.”
“……”
“It’s only fair that I do the same, especially since we are about to be engaged.”
‘Truly… he’s a mysterious person who confuses people.’
Even this polite demeanor could be a façade. I pondered on this, but still…. I couldn’t help but lower my guard.
And his tragic childhood made it even harder to doubt him.
I felt a strange sensation, like something was bubbling in my chest. It was something I often experienced whenever I was with Ludger.
The feeling was contradictory; like I wanted to flee to a place far from him, yet I felt a pang of regret at the thought of being apart.
I didn’t want to be swayed by such unfamiliar emotions. I longed for a bland and peaceful life.
I spoke slowly, trying to suppress my feelings.
“…… No. Regardless, I understand your intentions, Your Highness.”
“……”
“If it benefits both parties, I feel relieved. However, since this engagement was unintended, there may be inconveniences for us both. Wouldn’t it be wise to discuss this in a contract?”
“…… Right. Well, Captain doesn’t have any feelings for me. It would be awkward to engage under those circumstances.”
“Yes?”
Ludger spoke softly, his expression tinged with loneliness. When I blinked, struggling to grasp his words, he smiled elegantly as usual.
“No, nothing. Nevertheless… Captain, what do you desire from this engagement?”
“I…”
I hesitated before speaking. Only one thing surfaced to mind at the moment.
“After I learned the true identity of the Young Duke, we had a meal together, and I believe I mentioned that to you.”
“……”
“If the Phantom Thief Heilbronner were truly a criminal causing harm to society, I don’t think I would have just stood by.”
As I recounted that moment, Ludger nodded slightly.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“And the Young Duke said that as well. That the Phantom Thief Heilbronner’s actions were ultimately for the sake of the greater good.”
“……”
“I hope that belief of yours….. wouldn’t change in the future. Please don’t use your abilities for evil.”
I wished he wouldn’t become someone who inflicted pain on the people of the empire through black magic.
I understood one truth. Words alone were meaningless. Just as I had sworn to the God of heaven to keep Ludger’s identity secret, he remained distrustful, while constantly observing me.
Now, no one could guarantee that Ludger wouldn’t act with malice behind the scenes, despite his assurances.
However…
“I wouldn’t.”
“……”
“There’s no need to worry, Captain. Absolutely not.”
I wanted to trust those clear eyes gazing into mine. I yearned to believe in his unwavering gaze and earnest expression for a moment.
‘I still can’t fully trust him.’
I didn’t want to be hurt again, nor did I want to repeat the mistakes I made when I blindly trusted Gustav Mayr.
Therefore, I resolved to watch him closely and judge his actions.
“Is there anything else?”
“We’ll need to coordinate the details of the engagement period and process…. but that’s all I can think of for now.”
“I see.”
“Your Highness, if there’s anything you desire from me, please feel free to share.”
“Hmm…….”
Ludger lowered his gaze and examined me closely.
“I have one wish for you.”
“What is it?”
“I hope that Captain would take care of herself and value her worth.”
“I will…. definitely treat myself with utmost care, from now on.”
“…… Why don’t you take care of yourself, Captain?”
The promise made with that nameless boy.
After waking from a coma due to an injury, his words of admonition echoed in my mind.
The memories of that time suddenly resurfaced.
‘…… Wh, What?’
Before I could process the strange sense of incongruity, Ludger continued.
“Even if it’s just a formality, in the eyes of others, Captain is my fiancée. That makes you an important person to me.”
“That’s… true.”
“I wouldn’t like to see my fiancée neglecting herself.”
“I wouldn’t hurt myself as before. As I said, I was not uncalculated at that time.”
“It’s not just about avoiding harm…”
He sighed before adding,
“What I mean is, don’t say anything reckless like you’d follow my wishes regardless of the consequences. This engagement is a contract, and Captain is an equal partner in the deal.”
“Reckless… was it? But I meant it genuinely.”
As soon as I spoke, Ludger leaned in closer. Before I could react to the sudden proximity, he touched my cheek and whispered.
“Do you know what I’m about to ask of you?”
“……”
A tingling sensation ran through me. I felt frozen, although only his hand was on my cheek, I couldn’t move away.
However, instead of fear or crisis, it was an inexplicable tension.
Even though I knew he was the villainous mastermind with uncertain motives, I felt no fear…..
“But… I doubt the Duke would ask anything unreasonable of me.”
“……”
“Isn’t that so?”
Ludger’s hand slowly dropped. He let out a short sigh.
“Well, I suppose I should strive to earn your trust. But please, just say no to anything you dislike.”
“Yes, of course, I will do that.”
“Good.”
Ludger smiled in satisfaction and backed away. As the distance between us increased, the tension that seemed to bind my whole body dissipated slightly.
‘We’re not actually dating, so it feels awkward to act like this…’
Lost in thought, I suddenly realized something and raised my head.
“Ah, there’s one more thing, Your Highness.”
“……?”
“I… The narrative of our engagement… it should be…”
“Yes.”
“To the outside world…. we need to pretend…. that we liked each other and… got engaged, right?”
“……”
Ludger’s gaze softened, his eyes curving gently.
“Isn’t that usually the most suitable reason for a sudden engagement?”
“…… That’s true.”
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No! Actually, I just thought it would be safer to provide a reason to those around us…..”
“That’s good; I feel the same way.”
“But, um, we should establish that… I was the one who, uh, started to develop feelings for you.”
“Hmm.”
“I think we need to… align our narratives a bit…..”
“Align our narratives?”
I tightly shut my eyes and explained. I told Ludger about the time I was misunderstood about my relationship with him, and how I had strongly denied it, insisting we had nothing between us.
In fact, the biggest issue was not anything else but that I had talked nonsense to Lionel.
“The thing is….. if, given the circumstances at that time, I was already in a relationship with the Young Duke, it would have been unnatural for me to react that way….”
“……”
“So… Perhaps this is how I should put it… back then, I was secretly in love with the Young Duke and had decided to give up, but later, I needed an alibi to explain that the Young Duke and I had eventually shared feelings for each other…..”
For some reason, as soon as he heard those words, Ludger’s shoulders began to tremble as he laughed silently.
Love.